The present invention relates to a spray boom lock. More specifically, the invention provides for locking a spray boom in a boom saddle while transporting the boom in its folded configuration.
Spray booms are used to apply materials evenly across a field. The booms are generally very wide, some extending up to 90 feet, in order to spray as much of the field as possible with each pass of the spraying vehicle. The weight of the boom generally correlates to its width. The wider the boom, the heavier it is, which presents problems when transporting the booms from one field to another.
When the spraying vehicle is transported from one field to another, the booms are folded up and supported by boom saddles so that the vehicle is able to travel on public and private roads. However, there are problems when transporting the folded booms. As the vehicle travels over the road with the booms folded in the saddles, the booms tend to bounce due to the motion of the vehicle over the road. The booms can bounce out of the saddles, thus possibly causing damage to the booms and to other vehicles nearby. Even if the booms are not displaced from the saddles, their bouncing can cause damage to the booms, the saddles, and other supporting structures on the carrying vehicle.
Currently, boom locking devices are known, however, their use presents problems. Generally, known locking devices utilize systems of cables, pulleys, and hooks which are a burden for the operator to manually operate. Therefore, it would be desirable to provide an easily operated and installed boom lock for securely transporting a folded spray boom. The boom lock could be utilized with a wide variety of different carrying vehicles.